Military History

John was killed in action during fighting around Courcelette and Vimy on 7th September 1916. His body was never recovered for burial.

The Battalion War Diary records on 6 Sep 1916, following a very fine day, orders were received to relieve another battalion in the trenches, the weather turned very wet with constant rain. One of the battalion companies was able to complete the relief by 2:30am on Thursday September 7 but with severe casualties, and the two remaining companies ran into serious trouble when the Germans launched an attack during the inevitably confused movements of a change-over in the narrow trenches. There were many more casualties under heavy artillery fire and all the guides were wounded. The significant reverse cost the Battalion one officer killed and five wounded. Fortyfour men were killed, 116 wounded and thirtythree missing.

The Stratford-upon-Avon Herald reported that Jack Lambert was killed by a bursting shell while leading his men into the trenches. In an especially warm and personal tribute it recorded, ‘His unassuming manner and cheery disposition marked him from very birth as a type of that ‘happy breed of men’ of whom our immortal townsman wrote.’